Container transfer apparatus

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for transferring containers between conveyor runs and for feeding production machines such as container fillers in which the transfer apparatus is adapted to move containers at high speed around corners, where a change of direction is essential and where synchronized feed to production machines is critical to the full utilization of the capacity of such machines without loss of time or product being put into containers.

United States Patent 11/1943 Gladfelter 198/25 2,620,058 12/1952 Smith et a1..... 198/25 2,696,901 12/1954 Peterson 198/25 2,858,862 11/1958 Francisco... 198/25 X 2,956,520 10/1960 Keller 198/25 X 3,026,662 3/1962 Largen et a1 198/103 X 3,050,091 8/1962 Meyer 198/25 X 3,346,094 10/1967 Vamvukas 198/25 1,180,310 10/1164v (icrmzmy 1914/25 Primary Examiner-Even C. Blunk Assistant ExaminerW. Scott Carson Att0rney-Grave1y, Lieder & Woodruff ABSTRACT: Apparatus for transferring containers between conveyor runs and for feeding production machines such as container fillers in which the transfer apparatus is adapted to move containers at high speed around corners, where a change of direction is essential and where synchronized feed to production machines is critical to the full utilization of the capacity of such machines without loss of time or product heing put into containers.

Q .-.1 ea? PATENTEU Am; a 7 nan 599 9776 SHEET 1 or 4 PATENTEUAUBIYIQTE 3598776 sum 20? 4 MOM/R BA BUNOWC CONTAINER TRANSFER APPARATUS transfer apparatus to attain certainty of container movement and precise transfer of containers around corners and introduction to production or processing machines.

THE PROBLEMS OF THE ART One of the crucial production machines in a container moving system is the machines which loads the containers with the product. An example is a bottling plant where the filler machine is regarded as the pacesetter. The term container is herein used as the generic term for bottles, cans and like packages for food and beverages. The efficiency of a bottling plant is tied into the production that can be achieved when the filler operates at its maximum speed without stops.

Constant operation of beverage filler machines is the desired condition because stops cause undesirable foaming, wildness and short fills. When processing carbonated beverages, such as soft drinks or beer, the filler bowl is agitated on stoppage and starts and uncontrollable foaming over and loss of beverage results before the container can be capped. Once a filler is operating smoothly, the carbonated beverage in the filler bowl remains fairly quiescent and filling can be uniform in each container. Therefore, continuous production is an absolute necessity, not only for maximum yield, but for uniformity of fill.

Common bottling plants convey the containers in random spaced relationship on a flat top conveyor, but at the filler feed the containers must be arranged by some mechanism into a properly spaced and timed relationship with respect to the pockets in the filler. Most fillers, and particularly high speed filler machines, have a feed worm which spaces the containers as desired. The feed worm is generally a helically grooved feeding element provided with a yieldable gate and detector means to stop the filler if a container does not properly engage in the worm groove. The feed worm functions properly when a solid line of containers is present in front of the feed worm, but cannot function properly when containers arrive at the infeed in a random fashion.

Ordinarily, in a bottling plant it is customary to run the bottle washer or rinser at a higher speed than the filler to assure the presence of a solid line of bottles between the washer or rinser and the filler. Synchronism of the conveyor apparatus by which the bottles are moved is essential, and any stop on the washer or rinser requires an immediate shut down of the filler until a solid line of bottles is again established. The weakness of bottling plant systems heretofore devised is the feed worm which is expensive and requires associated mechanism for its operation.

: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In the present transfer and conveying apparatus containers are brought to the filler on a container conveyor in which the containers are individually held so as not to move in a random array. The speed of conveyance is coordinated with the speed of the filler so that each container is synchronized with the filler speed. The conveyor system may require one or more corners for change of direction of container movement to suit the particular plant layout. At each such corner or zone of change of direction the present apparatus employs a unique arrangement for transferring the containers from a linear cup conveyor into a rotary star wheel. The cup conveyor is of endless character in which the cups are caused to pass around a sprocket wheel and this momentarily increases the speed of travel of the cups. By interposing a star wheel rotating in synchronism with the filler, the containers are passed from the cup conveyor to the star wheel without shock and thus maintain proper speed.

As the containers reach the filler, being brought thereto by a linear cup conveyor of endless character, the containers are transferred to a star wheel rotating atfillerspeed and then they are transferred from the star wheeLtofthe filler. Hence, containers can be fed smoothly into the filler without jamming. In addition to smooth, jam free feeding of a filler, the present apparatus provides a unique way of obtaining a compact floor layout, and achieves substantially the maximum arc of travel of containers within a filler for maximizing the filler capacity. The present apparatus also achieves a degree of flexibility of container handling so that standard cup conveyors may be employed to feed fillers having different spacing of the container cups. That is to say, a cup conveyor with a cup pitch or dimension from center to center of adjacent cups of 1 unit may be easily employed to feed a filler with a cup pitch of 2 units by transferring the containers into the star wheel whose peripheral recesses have a pitch of 2 units to match the filler.

This invention possesses the further unique characteristic of allowing the use of a cup conveyor to feed a filler directly by choosing the proper diameter of terminal sprocket wheel to spread out the container holding cups to match the cup pitch of a filler. In this variation, the cup conveyor operates without need for transferring the containers to a star wheel, and no appreciable loss of compactness of floor layout results.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present transfer apparatus is shown in a preferred embodiment and in certain modifications in the accompanying drawings, wherein;

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a conveyor system having a plurality of transfer zones between the source of supply of containers and the container filler to illustrate the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged and fragmentary sectional elevational view of the conveyor drive mechanism which is typical of the mechanism employed in the transfer zones where change of direction of container movement is desired, the view being taken at line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged and fragmentary sectional elevational view of the drive mechanism employed adjacent the filler machine, the view being taken at line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged and fragmentary plan view of a modified transfer apparatus for feeding containers into a filler machine; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, but illustrating a further modification in which containers are fed to a filler machine directly from a terminal end ofa cup conveyor.

DESCRIPTION OF THE APPARATUS In the following description of the preferred and modified transfer apparatus it is to be understood that the conveyor apparatus may be operated in either direction of container movement. However, the principal description will be given for conveyance of the containers into the filler machine.

In FIG. 1 there is shown a system of conveying containers from a source of supply to a filling machine. The system is exemplary in that it illustrates the versatility of the improved means for transferring containers between conveyors an for transferring containers into (or out of) a filling machine.

The containers C to be filled are brought into the system from a rinser, or other source, on a table top conveyor 10 between suitable guide rails 11 and 12. The containers C are supported at the first turn on a rotary table 13 which has a speed substantially equal to the linear speed of the cups 14 attached to an endless conveyor chain 15. The conveyor chain is driven by a sprocket wheel 16 on shaft 17 supported by suitable structure not necessary to show as it is well known in this art. The shaft 17 carries a large gear 18 which meshes with a like gear 19 on shaft 20 to which the rotary table 13 is connected. A second sprocket wheel 21 on shaft 22 carries the conveyor chain 15 about the discharge end remote from the feed conveyor 10. The containers C placed in the cups 14 at the feed end are supported on a grid of rails 23 to overcome container bloat while moving at high speed, and the guide rails 11 (there are two vertically spaced rails) retain the containers in the respective cups 14. Guide rails 12 end in the zone of transfer to the cups 14 as the function of these rails is completed when the transfer has been completed.

The shaft 22 for the sprocket wheel 21 of the conveyor chain carries a vertically spaced pair of star wheels of which only the topmost one 24 is seen. The star wheels 24 have peripheral recesses which engage the containers C near the bases and shoulders as is exemplified more clearly in FIG. 2 in connection with other similar components to be described. The grid of rails 23 is formed to follow the circular contour of the star wheels 24 because at this zone the containers are transferred from the conveyor chain pockets 14 to the recesses 25 in the star wheels 24.

The transfer from the cups 14 to the star wheel recesses 25 involves a change of velocity and direction from the linear travel of the cups 14 to a circular travel of the star wheel recesses 25. The change of speed is accomplished by mounting a sprocket 26 on the shaft 22 and connecting it by a sprocket chain 27 to a sprocket wheel 28 on a counter shaft 297 The drive arrangement involved here is more clearly exemplified in FIG. 2 which will be described presently as it typifies the character of drive means which is required. The main drive for shaft 22 is through a large gear 30 which meshes with a like gear 31 carried by shaft 32.

The containers C are retained in the star wheel recesses 25 by a curved section 11A of the guide rails 11, which curved guide rail sections 11A begin at the zone of transfer of the containers C from the cups 14 to the star wheel recesses 25. At this transfer zone the containers obtain an increase in velocity as each is engaged by the recesses 25. Proper timing of this transfer requires the application ofa gear and sprocket chain drive with the counter shaft 29 as will be more particularly explained presently in FIG. 2.

The star wheels 24 carry the containers into a second conveyor directed at right angles to the first described conveyor exemplified by chain 15. The second conveyor comprises an endless chain 33 trained about a sprocket wheel 34 on shaft 32 and a second sprocket wheel 35 on shaft 36. Conveyor chain 33 is provided with a series of cups 37 which engage the containers C as they are directed out of the recesses 25 by guide rails 38 and on to a bottom supporting grid of rails 39. The length of the conveyor chain 33 may be selected for the desired travel distance.

The discharge of containers C from the cups 37 is achieved in substantially the same manner as for the discharge from cups 14 in that the shaft 36 carries a pair of vertically spaced star wheels 40 having recesses 41 in the peripheries thereof. As before described, the containers are engaged by the star wheel recesses 41 at a transfer zone defined by the change in contour of the guide rails 38 from linear to arcuate at section 38A. The bottoms of the containers slide along the grid ofsupporting rails 39, and these rails continue on and traverse the line ofcontainer travel beyond star wheels 40.

The assembly of parts and components adjacent star wheels 40 may be best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. Shaft 36 for the star wheels 40 is driven by a large gear 42, and shaft 36 drives a sprocket wheel 43 engaged by a chain 44. The chain 44 drives a sprocket wheel 45 on counter shaft 46 and this, in turn, drives sprocket wheel 47. A hub 48 mounted in a suitable bearing on shaft 36 located between the star wheels 40 carries the sprocket wheel 35 for the conveyor chain 33 on which cups 37 are fixed, and it also carries a second sprocket wheel 49 which is driven by a chain 50 from the sprocket wheel 47 at V the upper end of counter shaft 46. The chains 44 and 50 together with the sprocket wheels 43, 45, 47 and 49 comprise a speed change drive for the conveyor cups 37 so that the star wheels 40 may have a different and higher speed in relation to the cups 37. This drive means is similar for the shafts 22 and 29 before set forth.

Container discharge from the star wheels 40 is directed into an adjacent pair of'star' wheels 51 mounted on a shaft 52. Guide rail sections 38A carry the containers C into a transfer zone where they are caused to mesh with peripheral recesses 53 in star wheels 51 by the aid of other curved guide rails 54. Support of the containers is achieved by the grid of rails 39 which follow the curved path defined by the star wheels 51.

A third endless conveyor chain 55 having cups 56 thereon is driven by a sprocket wheel 57 mounted on a hub 58 carried in a suitable bearing on shaft 52 to rotate independently of shaft 52. The hub 58 carries a sprocket wheel 59 engaged by a sprocket chain 60 which extends to a sprocket wheel 61 (FIG. 1) fast on a counter shaft 62. The shaft 62 is back driven from shaft 52 in the manner shown at chain 44 in FIG. 2, and shaft 52 carries a sprocket wheel 63 for driving the chain 64 for this purpose.

With further reference to FIG. 1, the containers C transfer from the recesses 53 in star wheels 51 to the cups 56 of the conveyor chain 55 in/ zone where the curved guide rails 54 become linear. From this transfer zone the containers travel linearly in cups 56 on the grid of supporting rails 39 and are confined to the cups 56 by vertically spaced guide rails 54A. The containers C are thusly conveyed toward a filler machine having the large container carrier or star wheels 65 providing recesses or pockets 66 in its periphery. It is not necessary to show the entire filler machine, but a portion thereof may be seen at 67 in FIG. 3. The machine 67 provides suitable container support means 67A for each recess or pocket 66 of the carrier 65. The feed to the filler carrier wheel 65 includes the sprocket wheel 68 free to rotate on shaft 69 to support the conveyor chain 55. The shaft 69 carries a pair of star wheels 70, and the shaft is driven by a sprocket wheel 71 connected by sprocket chain 72 to an intermediate sprocket wheel 73 carried on a shaft 74 in the filler machine 67. The shaft carries a gear 75 which meshes with the main drive gear 76 for the filler. The drive to shaft 69 through chain 72 drives a sprocket wheel 77 which, through chain 78 and sprocket wheel 79, drives a counter shaft 80 on which sprocket wheel 81 is carried to drive a sprocket wheel 82 by chain 83. The counter shaft 80 and sprocket wheels 79 and 81 are part of a speed change drive of the character described with reference to FIG. 2.

It is now clear that the operation of the filler machine 67 controls the operation of the entire system of conveyors seen -in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. For example, the filler machine gear 76 drives gear 75 to establish the correct direction of rotation of the shaft 69 on which star wheels 70 are fixed. Also the rotation of shaft 69 establishes the correct direction of container feed for the conveyor chain 55, the speed of the chain 55 being determined by the speed change drive through the counter shaft 80. The opposite end of the conveyor chain 55 is rendered operative to drive shaft 52 (FIG. 2) and through the assembly of drive components seen in FIG. 2 the conveyor chain 33 is driven. The chain 33 drives shaft 32 and through gears 31 and 30 the shaft 22 is driven. Thus, the drive for the system shown in FIG. 1 is effected from the filler machine 67, and speed change drives, each of essentially the same character, are incorporated at shafts 80, 62, 46 and 29.

Referring to FIG. 4 there is shown a modified embodiment of means for feeding containers into a filler machine. In th s view the filler machine (shown only partly by its carrier wheel) has its container carrier wheel 85 formed with recesses or pockets 86 spaced on pitch or centers that are larger than the pitch or centers for the cups 56 on the conveyor chain 55. For example, the cups 56 might be on three inch centers while the filler recesses or pockets 86 are on three and three-fourths centers. Loading containers directly into the filler from the cups 56 while travelling linearly is not feasible due to the difference in center-to-center spacing or pitch of cups 56. However, with the arrangement of the carrier wheel 87 (FIG. 4) having the recesses 88 on a pitch or center spacing just equal to the pitch of the recesses or pockets 86 in the filler machine, transfer of the containers is accomplished very smoothly.

ever possible. One of the notable differences is the addition (FIG. 4) of a container deflector and shock reducing element 89 in the zone where the recesses 88 in carrier wheel 87 mate with the container C brought in by the cups 56. Another dif ference is the shape of the cusps 90 between recesses 88. The shape of each cusp 90 is designed with one surface faired off so that there will be a smooth insertion between the containers C at the zone of transfer from cups 56 to the star wheel recesses 88, or of transfer in the reverse direction as when the carrier wheel 87 is employed as a discharge unit for the filler machine 67.

Still with reference to FIG. 4, there is shown an arrangement for discharging filled containers C from the filler carrier wheel 85 after the filler mechanism (not shown) has been traversed. Here a suitable endless conveyor chain 91, having cups 92 thereon is trained about a sprocket wheel 93 carried on shaft 94.The pitch of the cups 92 matches the pitch of the recesses or pocket 86 in the filler carrier wheel 85 so that the transfer of the containers is smoothly achieved with the aid of guide rails 95 and a bottom supporting grid of rails 96. The cups 92 are synchronized to the speed of the carrier wheel 85 so that each cup 92 meshes with a recess 86 as the cups pass tangentially of the wheel 85.

The arrangement of infeed and discharge of containers C for the filler wheel 85 seen in FIG. 4 allows the terminal shafts 69 and 94 to be brought close together, whereby only an arc of about 60 of the filler wheel 85 is rendered nonoperative for the placement of the filling nozzles and associated mechanism usually associated with such nozzles. This mechanism is not shown as it is not a part of the present disclosure. The'containers C placed in the cups 92 of the conveyor chain 91 are conveyed to a suitable capper represented by the wheel 93, and thence to other machines in the plant layout.

A further modification is seen in FIG. 5 wherein an endless conveyor chain 98 having cups 99 thereon is trained about a sprocket wheel I operated by shaft 101. Shaft 101 may be driven by the gear 76 (FIG. 3) of the filler machine 67 so as to be properly synchronized and directionally rotated. The sprocket wheel 100 has a diameter of such proportion in relation to the filler carrier wheel 85 that as the cups 99 traverse the arcuate path they spread out to assume a pitch equal to the pitch of the'recesses 86 in the wheel 85. Thus, the cups 99 traverse an arcuate path of angle X with the same pitch of the recesses 86 in the filler wheel 85, and this allows the placement of the conveyor chain 98 at a variety of angles of approach to the filler wheel 85 for great flexibility in floor layout in relation to the placement of the container discharge conveyor 102 at the discharge of the filler machine.

In the view of FIG. the conveyor 102 is an endless chain conveyor 103 having cups 104 thereon which are caused by the placement of the terminal sprocket wheels I05 and 106 to pass tangentially of the filler wheel 85 and past the infeed conveyor 98. This reduces the filler wheel to about 60 of nonuset'ul arc. By substituting the conveyor chain 91 of FIG. 4 at the discharge in FIG. 5, it is possible to reposition the infeed conveyor 98 so that the feed ofthe containers occurs at a different zone within the angle X of the arcuate travel. Great flexibility of floor layout is thus achieved as previously pointed out in connection with the means of FIG. 4.

The foregoing specification has set forth the principal components of the transfer apparatus and the improvements in apparatus for conveying containers to filler machines. It is to be understood that in referring to conveyor means the carrier wheel 85 for the filler machine is considered to be a conveyor. It is also to be recognized that certain components and parts seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 may have been shown described in other views so repetitive description has been avoided where possible.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for transferring containers while in upright position, the combination which comprises: a first container conveyor having laterally open container impelllng-cups engaging upright containers and moving in an endless horizontal closed path; sprocket means engaged with said first conveyor and rotating about a vertical axis, said sprocket defining one end portion of said first conveyor in which said cups follow a horizontal circular path; rotary means adjacent said sprocket means, said rotary means and said sprocket means having a common axis of rotation, said rotary means providing a series of laterally open container engaging recesses moving in a horizontal circular path concurrently with said cups but on a different size circular cup path so that said recesses intercept the horizontal circular cup path to effect container transfer therebetween; supporting means adjacent said circular path of said recesses to hold the upright containers in said recesses; and a second conveyor movable in container transfer juxtaposition with said rotary means, said second conveyor having laterally open pockets movable in a horizontal path registering with said laterally open recesses in said rotary means, whereby upright containers are transferred between said first and second conveyors through said interposition of said sprocket means and rotary means moving concurrently about said vertical axis.

2. The container transfer apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein said recesses in said rotary means are set on a different pitch than the pitch for said cups, and said pockets in said second conveyor are set on a pitch substantially equal to said recess pitch.

3. The apparatus set forth in claim I wherein said first conveyor includes flexible means trained about said sprocket means to carry said impelling cups into and out of the one end portion, and said rotary means has a diameter larger than said sprocket means whereby said recesses are caused to move across the path of said cups to the outside of said cup path.

4. The apparatus set forth in claim I wherein said sprocket means moves so as to increase the velocity of said recesses over said cup velocity, and said second conveyor pockets move to substantially match the velocity of said recesses.

5. In container transfer apparatus for moving upright containers, the combination of means to synchronize the transfer of the upright containers which includes: a first endless con- I veyor having container moving cups thereon movable in a linear path with said cups at a first spacing; a terminal sprocket wheel engaged with said first endless conveyor and about which said cups move and undergo an increase in said cup spacing from said first spacing; a second conveyor having spaced container moving pockets thereon; said second conveyor moving tangentially of and spaced from said terminal sprocket wheel, and said container moving pockets of said second conveyor being spaced at least at the said increased spacing of said first conveyor cups; a star wheel movable with said terminal sprocket wheel of said first conveyor, said star wheel having container receiving recesses spaced apart to match said increased spacing of said first conveyor cups, said container receiving recesses of said star wheel moving in a path to intersect with and receive containers from said first conveyor cups at a predetermined zone in advance of said second conveyor, the containers being moved by said star wheel along a path having a second zone meshing its recesses with said spaced moving pockets of said second conveyor; and container guide means cooperable with said first and second conveyors and said star wheel to guide the movement of the containers through the apparatus said terminal sprocket wheel and star wheel have a common axis of rotation; and speed change means is operably connected to said wheels to coordinate the rotary speeds thereof.

6. The combination set forth in claim 8 wherein said second conveyor comprises a rotary carrier having a periphery movable through said second zone of meshing. 

1. In apparatus for transferring containers while in upright position, the combination which comprises: a first container conveyor having laterally open container impelling cups engaging upright containers and moving in an endless horizontal closed path; sprocket means engaged with said first conveyor and rotating about a vertical axis, said sprocket defining one end portion of said first conveyor in which said cups follow a horizontal circular path; rotary means adjacent said sprocket means, said rotary means and said sprocket means having a common axis of rotation, said rotary means providing a series of laterally open container engaging recesses moving in a horizontal circular path concurrently with said cups but on a different size circular cup path so that said recesses intercept the horizontal circular cup path to effect container transfer therebetween; supporting means adjacent said circular path of said recesses to hold the upright containers in said recesses; and a second conveyor movable in container transfer juxtaposition with said rotary means, said second conveyor having laterally open pockets movable in a horizontal path registering with said laterally open recesses in said rotary means, whereby upright containers are transferred between said first and second conveyors through said interposition of said sprocket means and rotary means moving concurrently about said vertical axis.
 2. The container transfer apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein said recesses in said rotary means are set on a different pitch than the pitch for said cups, and said pockets in said second conveyor are set on a pitch substantially equal to said recess pitch.
 3. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein said first conveyor includes flexible means trained about said sprocket means to carry said impelling cups into and out of the one eNd portion, and said rotary means has a diameter larger than said sprocket means whereby said recesses are caused to move across the path of said cups to the outside of said cup path.
 4. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein said sprocket means moves so as to increase the velocity of said recesses over said cup velocity, and said second conveyor pockets move to substantially match the velocity of said recesses.
 5. In container transfer apparatus for moving upright containers, the combination of means to synchronize the transfer of the upright containers which includes: a first endless conveyor having container moving cups thereon movable in a linear path with said cups at a first spacing; a terminal sprocket wheel engaged with said first endless conveyor and about which said cups move and undergo an increase in said cup spacing from said first spacing; a second conveyor having spaced container moving pockets thereon; said second conveyor moving tangentially of and spaced from said terminal sprocket wheel, and said container moving pockets of said second conveyor being spaced at least at the said increased spacing of said first conveyor cups; a star wheel movable with said terminal sprocket wheel of said first conveyor, said star wheel having container receiving recesses spaced apart to match said increased spacing of said first conveyor cups, said container receiving recesses of said star wheel moving in a path to intersect with and receive containers from said first conveyor cups at a predetermined zone in advance of said second conveyor, the containers being moved by said star wheel along a path having a second zone meshing its recesses with said spaced moving pockets of said second conveyor; and container guide means cooperable with said first and second conveyors and said star wheel to guide the movement of the containers through the apparatus said terminal sprocket wheel and star wheel have a common axis of rotation; and speed change means is operably connected to said wheels to coordinate the rotary speeds thereof.
 6. The combination set forth in claim 8 wherein said second conveyor comprises a rotary carrier having a periphery movable through said second zone of meshing. 